Having reduced the discount for Right to Buy by executive action (varying from £16,000 to £38,000), the government is proposing a number of reforms (see below) which will require legislation “when Parliamentary time allows”. These are obviously designed to cut the number of sales. No surprise, as we said they would, the Tories have denounced … Continue reading “Reforming Right to Buy” – a missed opportunity
Category: Right to Buy
Time to abolish Right to Buy
Changes to RTB are better than the status quo but it's time to abolish it. The government has introduced a Statutory Instrument in Parliament to cut the discount for tenants when they buy a home through Right to Buy. Discounts were increased by the Tories in 2012. Maximum discounts are currently £136,400 in London and … Continue reading Time to abolish Right to Buy
Right to Buy – filling Andy Burnham’s bath
Paul Truswell says that supporting Right to Buy "has become a dogmatic obsession that has overridden the needs of millions of our fellow citizens". The Right to Buy is long past its sell-by date. Andy Burnham recently crystallised the reason in one telling phrase. Building new council homes while keeping the Right to Buy was, … Continue reading Right to Buy – filling Andy Burnham’s bath
Oppose a U-turn on Right to Buy
Rachel Reeves declares that Labour has no plans to reform Right to Buy Speaking at the National Housing Federation Housing Summit last September, Shadow Housing Minister Matthew Pennycook, said “But as well as boosting social housing supply, we need to better protect the social housing stock we still have. One cannot fill a bath by … Continue reading Oppose a U-turn on Right to Buy
70% home ownership target – wrong in principle and undeliverable
Just before Lisa Nandy was moved sideways from her job as Shadow Secretary of State for Levelling-up, the Highbury Group on Housing Delivery (“an independent group of specialists from the public, private and independent sectors from housing, planning and related professions”) wrote to her on Labour's housing policy. We reproduce some extracts below. You can … Continue reading 70% home ownership target – wrong in principle and undeliverable
Labour cannot resolve the housing crisis without more funding for councils
A “net positive” social housing policy will not resolve the housing crisis. Speaking at a National Housing Federation summit, Shadow Housing Minister, Matthew Pennycook clarified the Labour leadership's outlook on housing policy when in government. By a “significant” reduction in RTB discounts and focusing the Affordable Homes Programme “overwhelmingly” on social rent homes “we will … Continue reading Labour cannot resolve the housing crisis without more funding for councils
Ending Right to Buy is a necessary step towards resolving the housing crisis
In defending her support for Right to Buy Lisa Nandy recently said that “telling working class people they can't own their own home is just unacceptable”. If she meant their council home, that rather contradicts what she said at last September's Labour conference; “the idea of a home for life handed on in common ownership … Continue reading Ending Right to Buy is a necessary step towards resolving the housing crisis
Architect Peter Barber calls for end of Right to Buy
Well known and award winning architect, Peter Barber, has signed our statement calling for Labour to commit to ending Right to Buy. He recently appeared in a Channel 4 programme on housing. Here are some extracts from it. “We should have a social housing programme on the scale were were able to manage after the … Continue reading Architect Peter Barber calls for end of Right to Buy
Right to Buy: privatising collectively owned housing
Lisa Nandy recently said that “telling working class people they can't own their own home is just unacceptable”. If she means their council home that rather contradicts what she said at last September's Labour conference; that “the idea of a home for life handed on in common ownership to future generations is an idea worth … Continue reading Right to Buy: privatising collectively owned housing
Councils lose more than a property when a home is sold under Right to Buy
The case for ending Right to Buy is well known. Scotland and Wales ended it with no great resistance. It remains in England where there are less than 1.6 million council homes left and despite some manipulation by councils designed to reduce the numbers on the waiting lists, there are still more than 1.2 million … Continue reading Councils lose more than a property when a home is sold under Right to Buy
Labour Campaign for Council Housing 